


Redemption

by silentallspeak



Series: Agent Earth [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avenger Loki, Avengers Family, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Cymraeg | Welsh, F/M, Loki Angst, Loki Feels, Loki Needs a Hug, Matilda Reference, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Odin's A+ Parenting, Poor Loki, Post-Avengers (2012), Reader Has Powers, Reader-Insert, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, The Author Likes To Make References, Tony Snark, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Русский | Russian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-05-19 20:04:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5979475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentallspeak/pseuds/silentallspeak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The final part of Loki’s punishment is underway: (Y/N) has disappeared along with all of her memories. And even while concealed under a new identity, she is still not safe from the ghosts of her past.<br/>If Loki can find (Y/N) in time, then they will both be free. And, with a little help, he just might pull it off.</p><p> </p><p> <b>Note:</b> This story will be difficult to understand if you haven't read <i>Alliance,</i> <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/4815362/chapters/11024753">the first story in the <i>Agent Earth</i> series.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome, everyone, to Part 2 of _Agent Earth!_ Let us begin!  <3

**Previously, in _Agent Earth: Alliance..._**

_Loki wrenched himself out of Clint and Steve’s grasp and frantically shoved them both away. He ran to (Y/N) and got to her side just as she moaned softly and lifted her head._

_“(Y/N), are you all right?” he pleaded. “Look at me!”_

_(Y/N) put a hand to her forehead and winced, before she blinked confusedly up at Loki. “I’m sorry, what?”_

_“Are you all right, (Y/N)?” Loki repeated._

_(Y/N)’s eyebrows furrowed. “Who are you?”_

_The color drained from Loki’s face, and his eyes filled with tears. “...No...”_

_(Y/N) frowned sadly and she reached out, as if to grasp Loki’s shoulder comfortingly. But just before her fingers touched him, she disappeared into thin air, just as Odin struck the floor with Gungnir one final time._

_The Allfather strode swiftly out onto the balcony and was swept up almost at once by the Bifrost portal. Loki howled with rage and dashed after him, screaming nonsensically, but he tripped wildly just before the doors and landed flat on his front._

_Everyone ran to him. “You okay, Loki?” Steve asked worriedly, placing a hand on Loki’s shoulder._

_Loki jerked away. He sat up, bent his knees, and wrapped his arms around his legs, rocking slightly back and forth._

_He let out a miserable wail. “(Y/N)...”_

_At the anguish in Loki’s voice, the rest of the Avengers all shared a grave look._

_What were they going to do?_

***

 

Four weeks. _One month._

An entire _month_ since any of the Avengers had last seen (Y/N) (L/N).

They had all long since become frustrated with their lack of leads and progression. Thor had been recalled to Asgard by his father, as Odin was reluctant to allow Loki to have any Asgardian assistance in his mission to redeem himself. So the Avengers were doing the best they could. Tony currently had JARVIS hacking the CCTV of Dublin after having metaphorically swum through that of every major intersection in England. Steve and Bruce had gone to do recon in the dense forest in which Clint had found (Y/N), which was quite vast and full of good hiding places.

(When they came across the base formerly commanded by the late Mistress London—the location of (Y/N)’s last mission—Bruce may or may not have unleashed the Hulk out to vent some rage, subsequently pounding every square inch of the building into the woodland floor. And Steve may or may not have let him.)

Similarly, Natasha had gone to St. Petersburg, as the museum which (Y/N)’s first mission with the team had been to infiltrate was still standing, and therefore another likely location for Odin to have sent her.

 _Odin could have sent her anywhere, the powerful, egocentric bastard,_ Tony thought bitterly to himself, typing angrily on his keyboard. _The next time I see the guy, I’m going to—_

**“Sir, you have an incoming call.”**

“Tell whoever it is that I’m busy,” Tony answered mechanically, still typing away.

**“But sir, it’s—”**

“I don’t care, JARVIS!” Tony snapped. “I’m busy; hang up on them!”

 _“Don’t even_ think _about it, Stark.”_

Tony sighed and answered his phone. “Sorry, Barton.”

Clint had originally volunteered to accompany Natasha to St. Petersburg, but at the suggestion of Edinburgh, Stark Tower’s newest security officer, Clint had gone instead to Wales, one of the list of countries that housed particularly copious populations of Earthlings.

“There are only a handful of countries we tend to keep main focus on,” Edinburgh had explained. “The U.S., the U.K., and Ireland make up six, Russia makes seven, and then a few others around Europe make a few more. Wales has been relatively quiet lately; Earthlings haven’t had any proper skirmishes there since World War II. If that king fellow knew that, then that’s where he might have sent (Y/N).”

Tony hoped Edinburgh had been right as he reluctantly abandoned his typing to speak to Clint. “Find anything?” he asked.

 _“No sign of (Y/N),”_ Clint answered. _“But I did find more Earthlings. I’m investigating their base right now, in the middle of a forest park in Cardiff.”_

“Be careful.”

 _“Always am.”_ There was a pause. _“Never thought I’d ask this, but how’s Loki holding up?”_

Tony looked over at one of his side screens, which was displaying a security feed that he’d pulled up the moment he’d sat down. “Not good,” he replied.

Tony had set that particular security feed to follow Loki wherever he went (within reason) in order to make sure he was safe. Currently, Loki was sitting at the chess table in the library. With one hand he played Queen’s Quadrille, dispiritedly moving the chess pieces, and with the other hand he held a bright red apple, into which he periodically nibbled.

It was painfully obvious that he had been crying.

“He’s playing solitaire with chess,” Tony informed Clint.

_“Single-player chess is not called solitaire, genius.”_

“And he’s also been crying his eyes out,” Tony continued, ignoring the jibe. “He looks worse than Cap did when we showed him _Titanic_ , and that’s saying something.” He paused to watch Loki for a moment. “What am I supposed to do with him?” he deadpanned.

 _“Leave him alone unless we get a lead,”_ Clint advised. _“There’s no reason to appear and get his hopes up just to tell him something unimportant.”_

“Good idea,” Tony agreed. “Hey, so you’re in Cardiff, right? Look around for—”

 _“Shush.”_ Clint’s tone was urgent.

Tony stiffened in fear. “What is it?”

_“Shit, I think one heard me. I’ll get back to you.”_

The line went dead.

“If you get dead, Legolas, I’m gonna kill you,” Tony grumbled to no one in particular, going back to his typing. “Scratch that— _Romanov_ will kill you.” He chanced another look at the security feed: Loki was still playing Queen’s Quadrille and nibbling at the apple, and he was still crying.

Tony sighed. _We need to find (Y/N). Fast._

* * *

“Hey, can you please go in the back and get another box of the new James Patterson? A few more should be put on the New Arrivals display, but the new guy needs my help with a return.”

“Sure thing, I’ll go right now.”

At the request of her supervisor, the young woman left the customer service desk and wandered towards the back of the bookstore. She paused after passing a particular shelf, and backtracked to see what had distracted her.

Some Russian novels were on display in the Foreign Language section. The title Преступлeние и наказaние had caught her eye. She picked up the book and held it in her hands, frowning down at it as if trying to decipher the title, or what the book meant to her in particular. After a few moments, she shrugged, put the book back in its place, and continued with her assigned task.

 _Dostoyevsky,_ she thought as she put copies of the new Patterson book where her supervisor wanted them. _Where have I heard that name before...?_


	2. Chapter 2

Loki moaned.

_The young woman waited for the flashing sign to indicate that it was safe to cross the busy street. Her hair, her eyes, the way her lips turned up in a smile to that passing little girl with her mother...every action similar to the (Y/N) he so cherished. But Loki knew that (Y/N)’s soul was trapped deep within that body, beneath the identity for whom the cursed Allfather had written and thrust inside._

_Surely (Y/N) would have long since realized who was following her, Loki knew. But this new, unknown name who had replaced her did not._

His head jerked to the side, his eyes dancing beneath his eyelids as the vision flowed through him.

_The man clearly recognized his target, and he smiled cruelly as he slithered through the crowds. He passed a bright red-and-white checkered sign as he saw her down by a light blue one. He was nearly upon her now—she stepped forward to cross the street—but he couldn’t lose her, not when he was so very, very close—_

“Loki!”

“NO!” Loki screamed, and sat straight up in bed. It took him a while to notice he was gasping for breath, and sweating profusely.

Tony had jumped back when Loki moved so quickly, but spoke as soon as he deemed Loki conscious enough to hear. “Sorry for barging in... JARVIS said you were going a little crazy, so I came to check on you. You have a nightmare?”

Loki swallowed fearfully. “Yes,” he replied hoarsely. “I-I saw (Y/N)...but I did not really... The woman’s appearance was correct, but I could more than perceive the identity that Odin forced upon her...”

“Where was she?” Tony asked. “What else could you see?”

“A city, a bustling city, quite like yours,” Loki answered breathlessly, eager for someone to listen, to help. “She was walking down a crowded street, and there was a large, fiendish man following her.”

“Did you get the street name?”

“Nearly. I was just about to see the sign when I was awoken.” Loki gave Tony a look.

“Sorry!” Tony held up his hands sheepishly. “I didn’t know. But this is still really great! We know what the street looks like, and we have the likeness of both (Y/N)-Not-(Y/N) and the thug that’s dogging her.”

“This was simply a nightmare, Stark,” Loki told him, frowning confusedly. “I cannot have visions; I possess no magic.”

Tony ignored him. "Tell me every landmark on the street you saw that you can think of,” Tony said, taking a notepad and pen from his pocket.

Loki raised his eyebrows at Tony. “You carry those around with you?”

“Of course,” Tony said, waving his hand dismissively. “Never know when a good idea might happen. Now start talking. Landmarks. Go.”

* * *

Clint dropped silently from the tree to the forest floor, and he had snuck halfway back to the exit path when he heard the rustle of leaves behind him.

He spun around and reflexively shot an arrow into the darkness.

“Whoa!” yelped a voice. “Mind your arrows, archer; you could murder someone.”

Clint frowned. “Who’s there?” he demanded, bow still raised. “Show yourself!”

“Up here, _twmffat_.”

Clint jumped and looked upwards: In the tree across from the one he had just vacated perched a woman with blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a clever grin.

“Hello there,” she said, jumping down from the tree just as Clint had done. “Fancy finding a fellow spying on my base at this time.”

“Who says I’m spying?” Clint asked, flashing a smile and hoping for the best.

The woman cackled. “I do. I’m an Earthling and you’re not. No one knows about this base except a very small few, and I know each and every one of them. And you’re not one of them. Therefore, you’re spying.”

Clint chuckled. “How do you know I’m not an Earthling?”

“Because I saw you on the news last year. You fought those aliens in New York City, and you fought with a bow, not with the elements.” She waved her hand and made the low branches of another nearby tree snatch Clint up and trap him tight against the trunk.

“So who are you really, archer, and what are you doing at my base?” she asked. She smiled kindly as she approached him and tapped the toe of his boot with a fingernail.

The fact that frightened Clint the most was that he was trapped in the exact same way that Master Bronx had been the day he and (Y/N) had met.

Not wanting to meet the same fate that Bronx had, Clint readily answered his captor. “Listen, lady, I’m Agent Barton of SHIELD. I’m here on behalf of (Y/N) (L/N).”

The woman cocked an eyebrow. “(L/N)? Really?”

“I’m serious!” Clint said, struggling. “A month ago, (Y/N) (L/N) was kidnapped and had her memories taken away—well, not really taken away, more like shoved down deep inside her where she can’t really find them... Whatever!” He had a sudden idea. “Oh, and this other guy, Edinburgh! He’s trying to help us find her, too. Do you know him?”

The woman blinked, shocked. “...You mean he’s alive?”

“Yeah. Yeah, he’s alive,” Clint assured her. “He works at Stark Tower now. In Manhattan.”

“I haven’t heard from him in over a year,” the woman said warily. “And the base his mistress worked at went offline a couple weeks ago. I sent one of mine to investigate and she came back saying the whole place was gone. We thought them both dead.”

“London actually is dead. She died in a different accident, though, that happened a little while before the base was destroyed.”

“And how do you know that?”

“Edinburgh,” Clint said simply.

The woman exhaled sharply. “Listen, archer, you’ve got a lot to prove,” she told him warningly. She moved closer, and Clint could see the fury in her eyes. “I’ve good reason to believe that you’re lying to me. So you’re going to take me to Master Edinburgh now. And if he’s not there when we arrive...you will _passionately_ wish you hadn’t met me.”

Clint gulped. “Edinburgh must mean a lot to you, huh?” he deadpanned.

The woman surprised him by nodding seriously. “You’ve got no idea.”

Clint thought about this for a moment and then nodded. “Sure, lady,” he said. “If you let me loose, I’ll take you back to Stark Tower and let you see Edinburgh. Deal?”

“Deal,” the woman said. She snapped her fingers, and Clint winced as he landed painfully on his rear end. “And my name’s not ‘lady,’ Agent Barton,” she informed him, holding out a hand to help him up. “It’s Mistress Cardiff.”

“It’s my genuine pleasure,” Clint said tightly, shaking her hand as he walked stiffly beside her, his tailbone stinging from his fall.

Cardiff chuckled merrily at him as they strode onto the path that led of the forest.

“I’m gonna call Stark and let him know we’re coming,” Clint said, taking out his satellite phone. “Last time I showed up at a SHIELD base with people SHIELD didn’t know, it didn’t go so well.”

* * *

“Okay,” Tony said, putting the notepad back in his pocket. “A red-and-white sign and a blue sign, a couple letters, two faces, and some traffic. That’s extremely little, but I can work with it.”

“You truly believe that's enough to go on?” Loki asked, disbelieving. " _And_ that it was a vision and not a nightmare?"

“Signs point to 'probably.' As a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist-superhero,” Tony said with a flourish, “I plan, with this information—or lack thereof—to A) find out where (Y/N) might be, and B) prove that you still have some hoodoo in there somewhere. You never know, Reindeer Games...you never know.”

He smiled triumphantly at the former god. “Nice going, Loki.”

He turned to leave, but Loki called him back. “Stark?”

“Yeah?”

Loki smiled tentatively. “...Thank you, Stark.”

Tony chuckled. “Don’t thank me yet. But if you’re right about all this, I’ll owe you _two_ drinks. Deal?”

“Sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Twmffat - Idiot
> 
> As with the Russian I used in _Alliance,_ I have no idea whether these are correct, so if any of you lovely readers out there know Welsh, please alert me if any of my translations are inaccurate.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony was washing his hands in the bathroom when JARVIS interrupted the silence.

**“Sir, Agent Barton is calling.”**

“God dammit,” Tony grumbled. “Put him on.”

_“Stark, I’m bringing in an Earthling from Wales who says she knows Edinburgh.”_

_“Excuse_ me?” Tony demanded. “And you didn’t call in first?”

_“I know it looks bad, Tony, but I have her word.”_

“Oh, really?” Tony was seething.

_“Calm down. She just wants to see the guy. Apparently the two of them had a thing.”_

“Nice going, genius. Just brilliant. Did it ever cross your mind that she could be working for the lady Edinburgh iced?”

_“Listen, Tony, I—”_

There were scuffling sounds, and then a new voice spoke.

 _“Mr. Stark, my name is Mistress Cardiff. I’m an Earthling, as is Edinburgh. It’s imperative that I speak with him. If I happen to perform any undesirable action, I give you permission to react as you see fit.”_ She sighed. _“Just let me see him.”_

Tony paused. “If you try and take us down, we _will_ kill you.”

_“Agreed.”_

“Give the phone back to Barton.”

_“I’m here, Stark.”_

“If this goes FUBAR, it’s all on you.”

_“Yep. I got that.”_

“Get your ass back here pronto.”

_“Roger.”_

The line disconnected, and Tony sighed. “And no one else is home, so who gets to go tell Loki?” he said sarcastically. “Oh, yeah, me. _Yay.”_

* * *

“So you and the security guard, huh?” Clint asked as he eased the Quinjet into a safe landing.

“I beg your pardon?” Mistress Cardiff asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“You and Edinburgh?” Clint clarified. “Back when you had that tree give me a bear hug, you said the guy meant a lot to you. You together or something?”

“That’s none of your business,” Cardiff said sternly.

But as she removed her seatbelt and followed him out of the Quinjet, Clint could clearly see that he had hit the nail directly on the head.

* * *

The next day, JARVIS announced Clint’s return and current presence on the conference floor.

Tony sprinted down the hallway and smacked once on the door JARVIS had told him Loki was behind. “Get out here; Clint’s back!” he called.

Loki backtracked from around a corner farther down the hall and beckoned furiously. “I heard! Come on!”

The two men tumbled into the elevator and Tony mashed the button for the floor Clint was on. When they arrived, Clint stood, and the woman with him, Mistress Cardiff, held up her hands in surrender.

“I swear, I have no intention of harming anyone,” she said. “Agent Barton said Master Edinburgh is alive and I won’t believe that till I see it.”

“JARVIS, page Edinburgh and tell him to come here immediately,” Tony ordered. “Tell him he has a visitor.”

**“Right away, sir.”**

Cardiff jumped visibly at the voice. “So there really is AI that advanced. Wow.” She nodded at Tony, impressed. Tony smirked.

It was mere minutes before the door flung open and Edinburgh came scampering in. He stopped short, right over the threshold, at seeing who was before him, and he and Cardiff gawked at each other as if they each couldn’t believe that the other was really there.

“Damn it, Iain, I thought you were dead!” Cardiff said angrily, after a long pause.

“I thought _you_ were dead!” Edinburgh exclaimed, firing up at once. “My God, Lewella, I’ve called you God knows how many times since I left Glasgow! Where the hell is your base’s satellite phone?”

“ _Yn twll tin Ifan saer!”_ Cardiff snapped. “Of course I don’t get to have a satellite phone any longer, not after your little _stunt_ in Inverness!”

“That wasn’t my fault; that was Chester’s fault and you know it!” Edinburgh retorted furiously.

“Well, thanks to you, _my lot_ are stuck out in the damn forest park, our communication kit short out every other day since we’ve got crap service, and we get precious little information save the really important stuff, the most recent of which was an alert that basically confirmed the fact that _I’d lost you!”_ Cardiff shouted. She paused again to take several deep breaths.

“I’ve been properly worried about you, Mr. Jones,” she said finally.

Edinburgh sighed. “The very same, Ms. Gwynn.”

They approached each other and embraced.

Tony, Clint, and Loki all looked on with looks of utter surprise on their faces. The incandescent verbal battle and the subsequent make-up cuddle had occurred in much too quick succession for the three of them to be able to fully understand the relationship between the two Earthlings.

“Question,” Clint said, after allowing the silence to continue for as long as he possibly could.

“What?” Cardiff asked, releasing Edinburgh and facing him.

“Who are Iain and Lewella?”

“We are,” Edinburgh said, pointing first to himself and then to Cardiff. “I’m Iain Jones and she’s Lewella Gwynn.”

“You didn’t think our real names were Cardiff and Edinburgh, did you?” Cardiff snickered.

Clint shrugged. “Can’t blame me, can you?”

“Code names, _twmffat,”_ Cardiff—Lewella—told him. “We needed aliases, of course. We’re in a similar line of work, us and you lot. A few generations ago, our leaders decided that city names were our best bet. When a particular Master or Mistress dies, their name gets passed down through their family, or to another prepared Earthling who’s willing to take it. Not all of us get cities from our own countries, though. I just happen to be Welsh; Iain’s Scottish, and Annabelle was English.”

“Annabelle’s Mistress London to you,” Edinburgh—Iain—cut in, looking pointedly at Tony when he opened his mouth to interrupt. “Here, take Master (L/N) for example. (Y/N)’s father. He was born right here in Manhattan and took the title of Master Paris. And the Paris before him was Puerto Rican.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “I wonder who the next one is, or if anyone’s taken it yet.”

“You know you can’t take a title from someone still alive, right?” Lewella asked Iain, rolling her eyes.

Iain gulped. “You...haven’t heard?”

Lewella’s expression darkened. “Heard what?”

“Tell you what, Ed—uh, Iain,” Tony interrupted. “You bring Car—Lewella up to speed while the three of us leave to go exchange some information. Then we’ll come back out and all congregate. Okay?”

Iain nodded and beckoned to Lewella. “Come sit, Lew, and I’ll tell you what’s been going on.”

Lewella moved nervously to sit beside Iain at the conference table. Tony, Clint, and Loki took that as their cue to leave. They went to another conference room down the hall and shut the door behind them.

“Okay, obviously now you know what I found in Wales,” Clint said, “so tell me what you two have been doing. And have any of the others checked in? Tasha, Cap, Banner?”

“I’m gonna have JARVIS call them all home as soon as we have a plan set up, but before that, you need to be brought up to speed too,” Tony said. “So Loki supposedly did a Sam Winchester. Tell him, Loki.”

“A Sam what?” Loki asked, confused.

“Long story. Just tell Clint about your dream.”

Loki nodded and began. “I saw (Y/N) on a busy street...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Twmffat - Idiot  
> Yn twll tin Ifan saer! - My source says that this is a sarcastic response to the question 'where is it?' but as I am familiar with neither the Welsh language nor its use of slang, I'm not 100% sure. The literal translation is 'in Ifan the carpenter's ass.'  
> Lewella seemed to be angry enough to say it, so I went ahead and let her. :P


	4. Chapter 4

Steve, Bruce, and Natasha quickly returned to Stark Tower upon receiving Tony’s urgent summons, and had subsequently been filled in on Loki’s dream visions and Tony’s ensuing theory of possible precognition.

“It’s plausible, Tony, but it’s definitely a long shot,” Bruce said, nodding over at Tony. The team, along with Iain and Lewella, were seated once again at the table in the library, as Loki was needed in their discussion but had refused to leave the room upon notification of the meeting. “We know Loki still doesn’t have any of his actual magic back—where else could this have come from?”

“Yeah, I agree. What do you think, Loki?” Steve asked.

Everyone turned to face Loki, who said nothing. The former god’s eyes remained on his hands, which were folded and tremoring slightly in his lap.

Natasha suddenly blinked in realization and said, “Любовь-это сильная магия.”

Loki’s head snapped up and he looked at her. “...But that’s impossible,” he murmured.

“What’s impossible?” Iain spoke up.

“Tasha, what did you say?” Clint asked her.

“I said ‘Love is a strong magic,’” Natasha explained. “And I’ve said it before, when we were going to rescue (Y/N) from London’s base. Remember when I said Loki should go in last since his relationship with (Y/N) was the strongest? Did you guys get what I meant then?”

“No,” Tony answered. “Care to elaborate?”

“It’s like in _Matilda_ , when she made the chalk write on the board and scared away the evil headmistress. She wanted to save her teacher, someone she genuinely cared about, so badly that she was capable of such a feat.”

“You’ve read _Matilda_?” Tony said incredulously.

“Shut up,” Natasha told him casually. “Loki, the reason why you’re having these visions could be that you’re unconsciously monitoring any danger (Y/N) may or may not be in, since you care for her so strongly.”

“But Matilda actually _did_ something to save Miss Honey,” Loki said glumly. “I still have no conscious magic of my own. I cannot ‘move the chalk,’ as it were.”

“ _You’ve_ read _Matilda_?” Tony exclaimed.

“Not helping, Tony,” Steve warned him.

“Well, that’s my theory,” Natasha said, leaning back in her chair. “Monsters and magic aren’t my thing, but ever since aliens fell from the sky, I’ve come to believe that not all fiction is fiction anymore.”

“That’s one hell of a wild guess, but it’s a good one,” Tony said. He paused, frowning in thought. “You know, Loki,” he mused, “Odin could just have _suppressed_ your magic. Not removed it. Just like he did with (Y/N)’s memories.”

“Well, if he did, he made no effort to tell me,” Loki deadpanned.

“I bet that’s what he did,” Tony said eagerly. “And of course he wouldn’t tell you, because clearly you’re smart enough to find a way to get it back. Maybe these visions are a result of your magic trying to get free.”

There was a long silence as everyone digested this, and after a while, Iain spoke. “Loki, before your powers were taken away, did you have the ability to track people? To use your magic to locate someone, wherever they were?”

“To a degree,” Loki answered. “But yes.”

“Then what Tony just theorized makes sense,” Iain concluded. “If your magic is still inside you, albeit locked down, your dream visions could be your magic rattling its chains.”

Loki stared thoughtfully at Iain for a moment before replying, “Yes, they could.”

After a few more housekeeping conversations, the meeting was over, and everyone stood up and stretched. “I could eat a horse,” Iain said, rubbing his stomach. “Dinner’s on me, if you like,” he offered, grinning as he pulled a blue credit card from his pocket and waving it.

 _“That’s it!”_ Loki suddenly shouted, standing up so swiftly that his chair fell over behind him.

Everyone jumped.

“What’s it?” Iain asked shakily.

“That there!” Loki actually leapt over the table and strode over to Iain, snatching the card from his hand and scrutinizing it. He pointed to the Chase Bank logo on the corner of the card.

“This is the blue sign I saw,” he claimed breathlessly. “‘Chase Bank,’” he read. “There is a building with this same picture on it on the street in my dream.”

“What was the other image you saw?” Bruce asked Loki.

“A red-and-white sign,” Loki told him. “The pattern looked like a chessboard.”

Everyone shrugged except Steve, who said, “Well, I don’t know about chess, but what about checkers? ‘Cause there’s a fast-food restaurant called Checkers, and their sign has a red-and-white checkerboard pattern. Checkerboards kinda look like chessboards, but not really.”

“Since when have you been to Checkers?” Tony asked curiously.

“There’s one in Brooklyn,” Steve said defensively. “I went there a couple months after we fought the Chitauri. They serve burgers and shakes and stuff like I’d get before the war.”

After a second, he blinked. “...And there’s a Chase Bank down the street.”

“Holy shit,” Tony breathed. “I’m gonna get my laptop and come right back—we can do Street View!” He ran for the elevator.

“What’s Street View?” Steve asked Natasha, who began to explain it to him.

Iain grumbled. “Look, I’m starving, so I’m going to get dinner. There’s a Chinese a few blocks from here; I’ll go get some of that, shall I?”

A general murmur of consent sent Iain on his way.

* * *

Tony clicked on the top result of the third page. “Cap, did you know there are 32 Checkers restaurants in Brooklyn?”

“Don’t blame me,” Steve said, turning a page of the copy of _Matilda_ Loki had found for him. “I’ve only been to the one.”

“And it’s the one!” Tony announced, throwing his hands up in victory. “It’s on Court Street. Five doors to the right of the Checkers is a Chase Bank.” He pointed at the screen. “Check it if you don’t believe me.”

Loki’s face broke into a huge smile as he and the others crowded around the screen, confirming Tony’s claim. “That’s it,” he said, his eyes shining with happiness.

“So this is the street,” Bruce echoed. “In your vision, where did (Y/N) go? Into the Chase or the Checkers?”

“No, she crossed the street. There,” Loki said, pointing to the crosswalk at the traffic light.

“What’s on the other side of the street, Tony?” Clint asked.

Tony held down the arrow key so the view would spin around to the other side of the street.

Clint chuckled. “I’ll be damned.”

It was a Barnes & Noble.

“I’ll bet you anything that’s where she is,” Clint said.

“Normally I’d take that bet, but don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” Tony told him. “And even if (Y/N) _is_ in there...how exactly are we gonna get her _out_ of there?”

Before anyone could volunteer suggestions, Iain burst through the elevator doors. Everyone stood up in surprise at his sudden entrance.

“I thought you said you were going for Chinese,” Lewella said, frowning at his empty hands.

Iain fought for a breath and fell back against the now-closed doors, exhausted.

“Iain, are you all right?” Bruce asked worriedly.

Iain panted for a few more seconds before speaking. “I know who’s following (Y/N),” he croaked hoarsely.

Loki paled so quickly that he became dizzy, and he sat back down in his chair. “No,” he whispered.

“Who is it, Iain?” Lewella asked warily. “One of us?”

“Aye.” Iain gulped for more air so he could explain. “I was barely out the tower doors three minutes before I spotted him, and he spotted me, and I nearly got flattened by a cab trying to get back across the street and inside before he could grab me. It’s gotta be him.”

“Who the hell is it, Iain?” Lewella demanded.

“Harlem,” Iain choked. “It’s Master Harlem.”

“Bronx’s little brother,” Lewella recalled, eyes widening.

“Bronx is dead,” Clint said, frowning. “The day I met (Y/N), she trapped him in a tree. London said he fell and died from his wounds. Was she right?”

Iain nodded, finally beginning to regain his breathing. “Bronx was Harlem’s sole support,” he said, “and (Y/N)’s the reason he’s dead. Loki, could you see the man in your vision?”

Loki nodded nervously. “Yes...he was rather tall, with dark hair in long, coarse strands... And his eyes were like ink.”

“Anything specific about him that you noticed?”

Loki closed his eyes in thought. “...A scar,” he remembered. “A jagged line just beneath his right eye.”

“Oh, God,” Lewella breathed.

“Yep, that’s Harlem,” Iain confirmed, chuckling humorlessly.

“You lot have seriously got your work cut out for you,” Lewella told the others.

“Exactly how deadly is this guy?” Clint wanted to know.

“Deadly enough,” Lewella said.

“Meaning?” Steve asked.

“Meaning that we need to find (Y/N) before Harlem does,” Iain said, “or there won’t be anything left of her to bury.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Любовь-это сильная магия - Love is a strong magic (for the context of the reference, see Chapter 11 of _Alliance)_
> 
> Fun fact: All three places on Court Street are real. Don't believe me? Google Street View it. ;)


	5. Chapter 5

The Avengers had chosen Steve and Natasha to be the undercover ‘couple’ that would go to the Barnes & Noble and look around for (Y/N). Steve was chosen because he knew the area; Natasha was chosen, according to Tony, for her “007 skills.”

Steve and Natasha had therefore hailed a cab and driven to the store. Iain and Lewella had borrowed a car of Tony’s (“Not a scratch, or I’ll Mistress London you into next year,” he’d warned) and followed the cab to Court Street, where they stationed themselves on opposite corners of the block to best keep a lookout for Harlem.

 _“No sign of him yet, Captain Rogers,”_ Lewella said over the commlink. _“You and your wife are clear to go in and start snooping.”_

“She’s not really my wife,” Steve mumbled with a blush, just as Natasha replied, “Thanks, Lewella.”

Natasha bumped shoulders with Steve as the two of them entered the Barnes & Noble. “Lighten up, hubby. We’re working _together.”_ She grinned sappily at him.

Steve returned the expression to his ‘wife.’ “Of course. Anything for you, sweetheart.”

Natasha’s eyes darkened ever so slightly.

Steve gulped, smile faltering. “Too much?”

“Just a bit.” Natasha looked around. “Okay... Upstairs first. Remember the mission?”

Steve nodded. “Find (Y/N), use chloroform, ‘trust me, I’m an EMT,’ make dramatic exit.”

“Top marks. Let’s go.”

“What’s an EMT?”

“Emergency Medical Technician. Ambulance people.”

“But we don’t have an ambulance.”

“You’re off-duty.”

“Oh. Right.”

They spent twenty minutes scouring the second floor of the store, and met beside the escalator after they’d finished. “No sign of her?” Natasha asked. Steve shook his head. “Okay, downstairs next.”

They had just stepped onto the escalator when Steve nudged Natasha and tilted his head down towards the Foreign Language section, where a young woman was seated on a stool, completely engrossed in an enormous book.

“That’s her,” he whispered.

Natasha was able to make out the book’s title. “Преступление и наказание— _Crime and Punishment_.”

“She looks exactly the same,” Steve said quietly. “No wonder that guy Harlem was able to spot her.”

“Guess Odin Allfather didn’t think about that,” Natasha mused. “Shall we go say Привет?”

Steve chuckled. “I assume that means ‘hello?’”

“Sure does. Your cue word is ‘remember.’ Go opposite me, get ready, and wait just out of sight till I give it.” Natasha turned right off the escalator, and Steve turned left.

Natasha strode confidently up to (Y/N) and decided to make some small talk while Steve prepared for the mission’s second step. “Hi there,” she said.

(Y/N) looked up. “Hi! Can I help you?”

“You work here?” Natasha asked.

“Yes, I do. My name’s Liz. Can I help you find something?”

“Помните, когда в последний раз я видел, как вы читаете эту книгу?” Natasha asked.

(Y/N)/Liz cocked an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

Steve entered Natasha’s peripheral vision, signaling that he was ready. Natasha gave him his cue by translating her previous statement. “Remember the last time I saw you reading this book?”

Liz frowned and opened her mouth to answer when Steve came up behind her and shoved a handkerchief over her face. Natasha positioned herself so that any passersby wouldn’t see Liz struggling. As soon as Steve said ‘Okay,’ meaning that Liz was unconscious and the handkerchief was safely hidden, Natasha shrieked theatrically. “Oh my God!”

A few customers gasped and stopped to watch, and a woman wearing a lanyard ran over. “Oh no, Liz!”

“It’s okay, I’m an EMT!” Steve told everyone who was watching. “I’ll get her to the hospital!” He lifted Liz into his arms and ran out the door. The customers went about their business again, chattering amongst themselves.

“Ohhh, man. Okay,” the woman with the lanyard said breathlessly, putting a hand on her heart. “Oh God, Lizzie... I’m sorry; I’m Amanda, I’m her supervisor.”

“Does Liz have a purse or something?” Natasha asked.

“Yeah, in the employee room in the back.”

“Give it to me. I’ll follow my husband to the hospital and take it to Liz,” Natasha said. “And give me a phone number too, so we can give you a call when she’s stable.”

“Okay, come with me.”

Natasha followed Amanda into the back room and got Liz’s belongings, and after reassuring Amanda that she’d be notified if and when Liz was all right, she left the store and walked up the block towards Iain.

“Anything yet?” she asked upon reaching him.

“Nope, nothing here,” Iain answered.

 _“Nothing on my end either,”_ Lewella said. _“Pretty sure it’ll be—”_

There was suddenly static over the commlink, and then Lewella was silent.

“Lew?” Iain said sharply. “Lewella, come in!” He looked frantically to Natasha. “Damn it!”

Natasha and Iain ran down the block to where Lewella was stationed. They found her unconscious, a bruise blooming on her forehead.

Harlem was nowhere to be seen.

“Fucking Harlem. I bet he’d been here the whole time,” Iain grumbled, “and if he had, that means he saw Steve run off with (Y/N).”

“You’re absolutely right,” Natasha sighed. “Well, that just means a bit more work for us. Lift her up, and we’ll get her into Tony’s car and go back to the tower. That’s where Steve’s taking (Y/N).”

They ran down the block to where Iain had parked the car. “What’re we doing with her, anyway? (Y/N)?” Iain asked, buckling up in the backseat and cradling Lewella to his chest.

“We’re gonna try and pull (Y/N) out of this ‘Liz’ lady Odin put in,” Natasha said as she began to drive. “It shouldn’t be too hard; we just need something significant, like a trigger. It’ll activate her suppressed memories, destroy the fake identity, and let (Y/N) retake herself.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Iain deadpanned.

“It might be hard to find the trigger, but once we do, it’ll all work out.”

“You seem to know a lot about such things,” Iain said warily as they sped off towards Stark Tower. “Where’d you learn it all?”

Natasha chuckled and eyed him through the rearview mirror. “It’s a long story.”

* * *

Tony pounded rhythmically on Loki’s bedroom door. “Hey, Reindeer Games! Ding dong! Open up! Yoo-hoo!”

There was a shuffling sound and a grumbled oath before Loki flung open the door and glared at Tony. Over Loki’s shoulder, Tony recognized a fallen house of cards on the desk.

“What?” Loki hissed.

“Lonely boredom time is over, princess,” Tony announced, “’cause guess who’s home?”

Loki’s expression immediately changed from irritation to excitement. “You’ve found her?”

Tony grinned. “Yep.”


	6. Chapter 6

Liz groaned, putting a hand to her forehead before opening her eyes. She immediately gasped and looked around, discovering her audience. Tony, Bruce, Steve, and Clint were all seated on chairs near the couch upon which she lay. Natasha was perched on the arm of Clint’s chair. Iain and Lewella were off to the side, leaning against the wall. Lewella was holding an ice pack to her forehead, and she was whispering quietly to Iain in Welsh. Loki knelt close beside the couch—possibly a bit too close for Liz’s comfort.

“What the hell?” she gasped, clumsily sitting up. “Who are you people?”

“It’s all right, (Y/N),” Loki assured her. “We won’t harm you.”

“(Y/N) what? Who’s (Y/N)?” Liz blinked dazedly and rubbed her eyes. “Ugh, my head... What did you do to me?”

“Chloroform,” Natasha replied.

“Sorry,” Steve added.

Liz frowned. “May I ask _why_ you chloroformed me?”

“Because you’re not Liz,” Loki said softly.

“What do you mean, I’m not Liz?” Liz asked. “I’m Elizabeth Terran and I work in a bookshop! What could you possibly want with me?”

“He means your memories are wrong,” Tony supplied. “The memories in your head, they’re fake. They were put there in order to hide you from yourself. And from us.”

Liz paused a moment as she tried to comprehend what Tony just said. “Okay, you lost me at ‘fake memories,’” she said. “How could my memories be fake?”

“Because the King of Asgard put them there,” Bruce answered. “He’s also known as the Allfather. He’s the king of all Nine Realms.”

 _“What?”_ Liz exclaimed. “Look, you obviously have the wrong girl here. Let me go.” She made to stand up but Loki grabbed her wrist.

“No, no, you can’t go yet. We... We have to keep trying,” he said, looking irritatedly at the other Avengers. “Clearly your idea of a technique isn’t working. Any other ideas?”

“He’s right,” Tony mused. “Looks like we can’t shock it out of her. We gotta try something else.”

“I could try cognitive recalibration,” Natasha suggested. “Worked wonders on Clint.”

“Great plan,” Tony agreed.

“I am _right here!”_ Liz reminded them angrily. “Look, I-I don’t know who you think I am, but I’d really like to leave now. Please let me out of here.”

“Wait,” Loki said, eyes widening in realization. “(Y/N)—I-I mean Liz, please wait a moment. Please sit down.”

Surprised by his politeness, Liz obeyed.

“Tony, you said you were trying to ‘shock’ the memory out of her,” Loki said, standing up and looking over at Tony. “What do you mean by that?”

“It’s actually more like ‘trigger,’” Tony said. “Give (Y/N)’s memory a jump-start with something really meaningful that might be enough to break Odin’s lock.”

“Do you know of anything that might mean enough to (Y/N) that it could wake her up?” Bruce asked.

To everyone’s surprise, Loki grinned. “Yes,” he replied. With that, he disappeared into the elevator.

Liz looked at Tony. “What the hell is going on?” she asked seriously.

“Your name is not Elizabeth Terran,” Tony said. “Your real name is (Y/N) (L/N), also known as Agent Earth. Your memories were forcibly compartmentalized by that guy’s adoptive dad—” Tony pointed to the elevator to indicate Loki “—because he’s being punished for something. I won’t get into it, but just imagine something along the lines of ‘hostile alien takeover.’” Tony sighed. “In our opinion, he’s served his punishment pretty damn well. He loves you and hasn’t stopped looking for you since Odin—his sort-of dad, also that king we mentioned—hid you from him and us a little over a month ago.”

“We used to hate Loki’s guts,” Clint chuckled. “I especially. But now we’re pretty sure he’s redeemed himself, both to Odin and to us.”

“Definitely,” Steve agreed. “He’s earned it.”

Liz swallowed. “...You said he loves me? O-Or he loves (Y/N)?”

“He sure does,” Tony told her.

The elevator doors opened and Loki bounded out, holding something behind his back. He rushed over to the couch and knelt once more before Liz. “Liz, I know you don’t remember me, or what you and I have shared, or what we all here have shared,” Loki said to her, “but I know (Y/N) will. I know (Y/N) is in there, and I know she will remember the day we met, and what she said to me. I know (Y/N) will remember why she showed me friendship despite all the wrong I had done to her and her people.”

From behind his back, he produced an apple. He smiled warmly up at Liz and held it out to her. “(Y/N) likes apples too.”

Loki placed the apple into Liz’s hands. Liz’s gaze slid down to the apple and then back up to meet Loki’s.

And in that moment, (Y/N) was freed.

* * *

_“Pretty sure your favorite food’s apples, right?” (Y/N) chuckled as she closed the refrigerator, going to sit across from Loki at the table and handing him his third apple in eight minutes._

_Loki took it with an eager nod, biting into it and sighing as he savored the taste..._

_“Why do you love apples so much?”_

_Loki shrugged. “They are one of the few foods found in abundance in most of the realms. Their taste is pleasing to me.”_

_“Nice.” (Y/N) smiled..._

_(Y/N) faced Loki and spoke. “You’re not alone, Loki. Everybody here’s had problems. Each of us has our own bad days, our own nightmares. It brings us together.”_

_“And what makes you think that I will be allowed into such a congregation?” Loki asked cynically._

_“Maybe some members of the team won’t be immediately okay with it,” (Y/N) acknowledged, “but I for one am willing to give you a chance.”_

_Loki blinked, and something changed in his eyes. “…I have not shown friendship to any of your brethren here. Indeed, to all of them, save a great many years ago to Thor, I have shown the very opposite. What would bring you to show friendship to me?”_

_(Y/N) grinned. “I like apples too.”_

* * *

The room was completely silent. Even Tony was rendered speechless as he watched this exchange, he and the others knowing that if this couldn’t bring (Y/N)’s memories back, then nothing could.

Loki cupped his hands over Liz’s so that both of them were holding the apple. “(Y/N) showed me that even this, the simplest of similarities, could bring two people together, either in friendship or in love. And I was so lucky that (Y/N) gave me both.”

He took a deep breath. “So, Liz, if you could... Please let me have her back so I might return the favor, for now I know how to do so.”

“For once, my son speaks the most honest of truths.”

Startled, the Avengers leapt to their feet and whirled around. Liz screamed and dropped the apple. Loki crouched into a protective stance in front of Liz.

Odin was there, Gungnir held tight within his fist, a rare kind smile upon his face. Thor stood beside him, wearing the proudest of grins.


	7. Chapter 7

“Brother!” Thor cried happily, striding over and lifting Loki off his feet in a bear hug.

“Thor!” Loki complained, immediately squirming so Thor would put him down.

“It has been far too long, Loki,” Thor said, releasing Loki reluctantly. “I have missed your company.”

“Obviously,” Loki sighed exasperatedly. But despite his annoyance, he offered Thor a tentative smile.

Then he faced Odin. “Have I satisfied the requirements of my punishment, Allfather?” he asked, the sneering tone in which he often spoke to Odin clearly present in his voice.

“Yes,” Odin confirmed. “You have learned what it means to be as powerless and alone as the Midgardian people were on the day you attempted to overtake their city. As you experienced these sensations firsthand, you took it upon yourself to save she for whom you care, as your new comrades did for the citizens they protect. You now understand what it means to be the warrior they—and I—appreciate. Your punishment is now complete, my son, and I release you.”

He lifted Gungnir and touched the tip to Loki’s forehead. Loki cried out and fell to his knees, emerald-green light enveloping him for several moments before slowly dissipating. He stood shakily and looked at the Avengers before raising his hand. He cupped his palm, and suddenly a small flame appeared within it.

“Your magic is restored to you, Loki,” Odin announced. “Use it wisely.”

“I will, Father,” Loki said quietly, staring at the flame.

“What was that you said?” Thor asked, hardly daring to believe his ears.

Loki extinguished the flame and looked up at Odin. “I will...Father,” he repeated, more slowly.

Odin smiled. “Indeed you will.”

Then Odin looked at Liz. “And to make certain you know what you will lose should you again disobey... I will return your beloved (Y/N) to you.”

Loki grinned eagerly and stood to the side, clearing Odin’s path to Liz. Liz’s eyes widened and she stared in terror at the Allfather, but Odin’s expression was gentle as he raised Gungnir once more.

Liz screamed as she was lifted high into the air by the same energy that had created her. The energy enveloped her body completely.

Within seconds, (Y/N) fell directly into Loki’s arms.

The Avengers watched with bated breath as (Y/N)’s eyes fluttered open. She blinked once before smiling up at Loki. “What’d I miss?”

Loki laughed breathlessly and put her down, allowing her to gain her footing before pulling her into a heartfelt kiss.

All the Avengers applauded—Tony wolf-whistled and Steve blushed—and went to greet (Y/N) once Loki had released her. Loki embraced her again once everyone else had had their turn.

Upon letting go, (Y/N) asked, “So, really, what did I miss?”

“Well, for one, your friend Edinburgh has a girlfriend,” Loki answered.

“Not to mention a real name,” Tony chuckled. “It seems code names are a universal thing with people like us.”

“Speaking of those two,” Clint spoke up worriedly, looking around. “Where are they?”

The sudden realization swept across each of their faces. Iain and Lewella were gone.

***

**FIN**

***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The plot concludes in _Agent Earth: Closure_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's stuck with _Agent Earth_ so far, especially those who have offered kudos  & comments. I love knowing what you guys think of the story I've created here.  
> Adiós until Part 3! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Psst. Find me on [Tumblr](http://quietlyxmydearest.tumblr.com). :)


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